Printing attachment for letter-boxes



- gNo Model.)

B. L. HARGROVB. PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR LETTER BOXES.

No. 570,994. Y Patented Nov.,1 0, ,1896.

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BYRON LAFAYETTEYHARGROVE, OF BOTTOM, TEXAS.

PRINTING vATTACHMENT FOR LETTER-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettere Patent No. 570,994, dated November 1o, 1896.

Application filed January 20, 18,*96. SerialNo. 576,172. (No modell) l T0 all whom, t may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, BYRON LAFAYETTE HARGROVE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bottom, in the county of Bell and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Letter-Box Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the present invention is to enable the depositor of a letter into a street letter-box to date the same prior to placing the letter within the mail-box.

To successfully carry out the purpose of the invention, an attachment has been devised which can be quickly and readily fitted to any street letter-box or VVplace where it is customary to deposit mail-matter to be collected at stated periods.

The improvement consists, essentially, of a casing having a pocket and provided with a series of dating-stamps, one for each day of the month, and each stamp bearing the name of the town, city, or post-office from which the mail is forwarded, and adapted to be selected and projected across the pocket for dating and postmarking the letter or package, an inking-pad arranged within the pocket and normally held out of the path of the dating-stamps by supporting-springs, and a handle operatively connected with the pad through a slot in the casing, whereby the pad may be moved so as to ink the dating-stamps when required.

For a full understanding of the merits and j advantages of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the following description.

The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and to a full disclosure of the invention an adaptation thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a street letter-box of ordinary construction having the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the attachment, having a portion of the rear plate broken away. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line :n :n of Fig. 2. f Fig. l is a detail view of one of the stamps.

Fig. 5

is a side elevation of a stamp, parts being broken away. y

Similar and corresponding parts -will be referred to in the description and all figures of the drawings by the same reference-numerals.

1 designates a street letter-box of the usual type, and is illustrated to show the application of the invention. yThe casing 2 for inclosing the operating parts of the attachment may be of sheet metal pressed into the required form, or maybe cast either of ironor brass, and will be attached to the letter-box in any convenient way, preferably by means of machine-screws or rivets passing through apertured lugs of the casing and into corresponding openings of the letter-boxcasing is secured to the letter-box so as to admit of access being readily had to the interior for changing the type or stamps when required, and the top is removable, so that the pad 3 can be reached for reinking or to be substituted by a new one when worn. A pocket 4 is formed in the rear portion of the casing and is closed at its top and sides, the lower end being open to provide a letter-slip opening, through which the letter is passed when it is required to date the same. A plate 5 is attached to the rear side of the casing and supports the letter against the pressure of the stamp when the latter is operated to vdate or postmark the letter.

There will be a stamp for each day of the month, and the several stamps will be similarly constructed. Hence a detailed description of one will be sufficient to a clear understanding of all, and these stamps will be placed in rows or otherwise disposed, so that when any one is operated an impression will be made thereby upon the letter inserted in the pocket.

Each stamp consists of a head G and a stem 7, the latter projecting through the front side of the casingasufiicient distance to be pressed upon to attain the desired end. The head 6 receives the name of the post-office, city, or town, and is recessed to receive the types S and 9, the former bearing the name of the month and the date thereof and the latter being provided with the year, and these types S and 9 are removable, so as to be replaced by others of a different month and year, and are The i IOO held in place in the head by any suitable fastening orby frictional engagement with the walls of the recess, as commonly practiced in the art. A spring is had for each stamp and serves to return it to a normal position after being pressed inward to date the letter, and this spring may be of any construction, and is preferably flat and is let into a recess 11 and is secured at one end, and its free end engages with the stamp, so as to effect the desired end. A convenient way of fastening the springs is shown, and consists of a bar 12, iitted in a groove and intersecting with the recesses 1l, and is secured in the said groove by bolts or machine-screws 13, which can be loosened when it is required to replace the stamps by new ones.

The inking-pad 3 normally occupies a position at the upper end of the pocket a and is supported by springs 14, which latter return the pad to its normal position after be ing actuated for inking the stamps. Cords or chains 15 extend through slots 1G in the front side of the casin g and have attachment with the pad 8 and are connected with a handle 17 exterior to the casing, 'and which is designed to be grasped and pulled upon when it is required to ink the stamps. Then depressing the handle 17, the pad 3 will be moved downward against the tension of the supporting-springs 1l and over the stamps and ink the latter, and upon releasing the said handle the springs 14, regaining themselves, will return the pad 3 to a normal position, and it being required to date and post mark a letter the latter is thrust into the pocket 4 and the proper stamp pressed inward, as will be readily understood..

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- An attachment for street letter-boxes and other depositories for inail-matter, comprising a casing having a pocket, a series of dating-stamps adapted to be selected and projected across the pocket for dating and postmarking the letter or package, an inking-pad located Within the said pocket, springs for supporting the pad and returning it to a nor` mal position in the pocket after being actuated, and a handle operatively connected with the pad through a slot in the casing, substantially as set forth for the purpose described.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BYRON LAFAllll'ill HA'RGROYE. ilfitiiesses:

JOHN T. TooLEY, CHARLES R. J oHNsoN. 

